It Is He Who Is Dead, Not I

This sums up much of the pioneering dream. America and Russia both are on the fringes of European society, always carving new ways. This, however, comes at a cost. This complacency Peter Ivanovich discovers in everyone is a disease that dulls the blade of growth. In both capitalism and communism, this complacency can be found. With communism, the citizen is paid the same amount regardless of the amount or quality of work. Complacency is fed when the worker realizes that his work is satisfactory enough to be paid, and ceases to grow for the employer. In a similar fashion, when a capitalist giant reaches near immortality financially, in a case where citizens are dependent upon a service or product, the capitalist can become full of himself and considers himself satisfactory enough in the current state. "It is he who is dead, not I," can clearly be applied in both cases; it reflects the attitude of, "well it's tough for him, but I'm still getting paid." In both cases, growth is ceased because the complacent party is content with his or her current position.

A fun side note, Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, and Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin were all co-advocates of Communism in Russia.

I commented on Jamie Kilpatrick's "Mild Lunch Time Rant"

Ad augusta per angusta,

Will Drake